


Bird of Paradise

by yandeerly



Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Kinda, a bit of angst, before the arrest, pre-game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-07-25 11:26:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16196594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yandeerly/pseuds/yandeerly
Summary: The deputy is forced to wander Montana's forests and hopes to hold on to some memories very near and dear to her heart. In the dead of night, a particular constellation catches her eye.





	Bird of Paradise

Montana nights; broad forests teeming with life and cool waters, the waves barely hushed beneath the light of the crescent moon. The low thrum of crickets, a never-ending pulse, joining the swell of nature’s orchestra with an enthusiastic beat. Flickers of illumination beckon through the murk, between wide, thriving tree trunks and lush, green grasses. Curious little beings, creatures who call the wilderness their undeniable home, flit across the winding dirt paths, feral in nature yet desiring closeness to something unknown, something different from itself, something cursed to walk these paths until its utter end.

A lone deputy, starved for civilization and her own space to call home , trudges these woods, ever searching, ever fearful. Ghostly hands rise of their own volition, cascading through the sea of brush as if they could produce what they so painfully desired. The swarms of otherwise friendly lightning bugs part like the Red Sea, making way as if struck by the fear of God, Himself. Her curled, aching fingers grasp at nothing, deprived yet again, and she half wonders if this were all a vicious illusion, gripping her mind like iron shackles tethering her weary soul to this wretched plane of existence.

How long had it been? How long had she wandered? 

Time itself seemed to meld together into an unrecognizable amalgamation, the start being her forceful eviction by a horde of men she did not recognize. “Sinner” they had screamed so hatefully, marking it so with angry, white letters on her porch. Weapons raised and a fierce flame burning in their beady, accusatory eyes, they tried to take her but her conviction would not let them. She fled that humble home of hers, the one that housed her precious memories, kept her collected belongings safe and sound, and provided the shelter so necessary to her as a human being. Those times she gazed through the glossy windows, peering out upon the velvety landscape as the sunset cast hues of pink and purple across the darkening sky and the moments spent beneath a woolen blanket, steaming mug of coffee in hand as she reveled in the peaceful mornings, they would be no more. Lost forever, reduced to smoky ash carried off on the unforgiving winds of change as those strange men torched the place behind her retreating form.

She would never forget the lick of heat, lapping at her bare ankles, or the sick crunch of twigs and rock as her soles bared the full brunt of forest debris. If she paused briefly and pressed both eyes shut, she could muster up that feeling all over again. Her skin would prickle with a phantom scorch, warming every inch of bruised and battered flesh to discomfort, spreading a vengeful itch and setting her lungs ablaze. It would become more and more difficult to breathe, her system mimicking a victim of smoke inhalation, a disgustingly wet cough wrenching free from constricted airways. 

It consumed her even now as she thrust a stray tree branch out of the way. The gnarled appendage whipped back again, nearly smacking clean across her bared cheekbone. If it weren’t for the sickness broiling in her veins, doubling her over, she’d have been just another unconscious body discovered in Montana’s harsh wilderness; meat for the wolves. However, it appeared tonight would not be her end. She just had to keep moving. As long as she could press forth, she was safe. The fact her directionless hike led to unknown locations did not matter.

Civilization _was_ out there…somewhere.

That desperate thought had just barely crossed her mind when her knees began to wobble with effort, buckling beneath their own weight. A needless cry of despair brushed past her scabbed lips and she tossed all limbs outwards, gripping aimlessly for a handhold. Her reddened toes squelched into dark mud, the oddly cool sludge oozing in between. With a short yank, she worked herself free only to slide atop the slippery surface. Yelping once more, her hands flailed at nothingness. The ink black sky, riddled with the constellations whose names she could never place, tumbled in her vision, overturning as her back fell flat against the muck.

For some reason, the star cluster known as Apus stood out as she blinked wearily through black, fluttering lashes.

_The Bird of Paradise._

It’s name she would not forget, though it had no apparent myths surrounding its nature or even any notable stories. The particular grouping had only been brought to her attention once before, when a friendly neighbor had inhabited the cabin just across from hers. He had been a very polite man, a bit older in age, with sun kissed skin that always seemed to harbor a specific, ethereal glow. She never knew his name, only that he had not been born here and it always showed so evidently. He was primal in beliefs, yes, but he was like a whole force of nature, or perhaps something even mightier. She could never quite place her finger on just what exactly it was, though ‘mythical creature’ came quite close. The man had a tendency to appear only on occasion, when it seemed absolutely necessary, before disappearing without the slightest of traces.

She let her weary eyes drift shut, allowing herself to fully drown in the recalled image.

The night had been similar to this one, despite the biting chill in the air. Autumn gave way to Winter, the reds and golds faded to dull browns and washed away by pearly snow  banks. Her on and off again neighbor had been particularly peeved by the death of his flower garden to the inevitable frost. The crestfallen features on his face, once full to burst with an unending hope, had pierced through her like chilled icicles. It was so unnerving, an unnatural phenomenon that looked as if it could bring about the end of all times. She hungered to fix what was broken, so, she did as her father had done. She looked to the stars.

Surprisingly, he already contained some knowledge on the matter; far more than she did to be utterly exact. The once exuded charm returned within minutes as he excitedly began pointing out his favored constellations, a renewed vigor fueling every exaggerated wave of hands. The pureness that leaked from him and etched its way into her heart, oh how it lifted her wilted convictions. With every beat it grew stronger yet, pulsing vibrant life into her stagnant soul. A swell of long forgotten emotions permeated the hardened barrier imprisoning her body like a cage of ice. It filled up her barren chest with a warmth akin to the bonfire softly crackling only a foot away from them.   

Perhaps it was years of loneliness that left her bitter and cursing this rotten, twisted earth but, he consistently found ways to dig up the beauty, always excavating and dissecting as if a divine being bored of the Heavens he solely ruled.

She’d always had a sneaking suspicion, deep in her gut, that his admissions were as unmatched in this world as they would be in a Godly one.

His words could go on for eternity and she’d still be there, listening with as much enthusiasm as a five-year-old receiving a brand new toy. Alas, the evening would come to a close sooner than expected, but not before his encompassing arms, so breathtaking and warm and wonderful, graced her body with their benevolent embrace, sweeping up every piece of her as if she were a broken doll for him to put back together. The gasp of surprise from her open mouth was drowned away, trapped beneath the fabric of a crisp, white dress shirt. A caring hand had engulfed the back of her skull, cradling it against him with all the tenderness of a God imitating a mere mortal and the way her core burst to life, fragile chest heaving with each gasping intake of his golden, honey scent, it was enough to send tremors between them both.

_“Bird of Paradise, O faultless one cast away from thine nest. Won’t you see about my garden? The rose bushes, the lilies, the baby’s breath, each of which I have prepared for you…”_

The sudden ring of his voice boomed loud and clear, rushing into her eardrums with enough force to draw tiny whimpers from her pale, trembling lips.

_“Lost in the forest of doubt, you took your journey with clipped wings and how painful it was to watch. My Bird of Paradise, it has led you to me.”_

Those arms. She felt them wrap her up once more and it was as if she could rise up and touch the sky.

_“It has lead you home.”_

* * *

_[buy me a coffee on ko-fi!](https://ko-fi.com/yandeerly) _


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